Flush car door and supporting means therefor



Nov. 5, 1929. K. J. TOBlN ET AL 1,734,755

FLUSH CAR DOOR AND SUPPORTING MEANS THEREFOR Filed June 14. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet l 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 K. J. Tosm ET AL Filed June 14. 26

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FLUSH GAR DOOR AND SUPPORTING MEANS THEREFOR I Nov. 5, 1929.

H vg Nov. 5, 1929. K. J. TOBIN ET AL 1,

FLUSH CAR DOOR -AND SUPPORTING MEANS THEREFOR Fi ed June 14, 1926 4 Shets-Sheet 3 M-q' PF- 2 I I I]; I\: I j '5 l l rl I I 12/ I '1 I 1 i r i i ham, 1

Nov, 5, 1929.

K. J. TOBIN ET AL FLUSH CAR DOOR AND SUPPORTING MEANS THEREFOR Filed June 14. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. 5, 1929 GAMEL COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLIJVO'IS" FLUSH CAR DOOR AND'SUPPORTING THEREFOR Application filed June 14, 1926. swarm 115,757;

This invention relates to flush car door and supporting means therefor. I

It is an object of thisinvention to pro vide a structure in which astraight support-- ing trackis used, in which the door is guided into closing position-and in whichthe door can be readily moved from-its closingposition without disturbing the operative relationbetween the supporting rollers and the track. 10. i will become more apparent as the description proceeds, this invention comprises the novel structure and combination of parts hereinafter described and moreparticularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of this invention,.and in which similar reference-numerals refer to similar features in the. diifer- 2e ent views: 7

Figurt 1 is a fragmentary side elevational View of'av car having, a door suspendedby our. novel support.

Figure 2 is an enlarged broken sectionalview upon the line II-II of F igure. l show ingthe door in closed position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure '2but"' showing the; door in swung-out position.

Figure at is a viewsimilar to Figure 2 but showing the door in partiallyiopen position.

Figure 5 is an enlargedbroken sectional View upon the line V'V of Figure lshow ing the rear-end of the door swung outwardly' inv full lines, and in closed position L in. dotted lines.

V Figure 6'is an enlarged fragmentary,ele

With-these and other objects in view, which Figure 11 a fragmentary elevationalview of the. door showingthe operating and lock ing'mean's for the support.

In order toillustrate andexplainthis in-,

vention there is showna: portions of. a house car having a door opeiilngl for receiving a flush door. Adjacent one m'argm of this door opening there is a track '2 which is suitably securedto the car. Thetrack 2 is shown as secured adjacent theupp'er marginof thev doorway. However, instead of putting the track adjacent the upper marginof the' door, it may be put at the lowermargin of the door as shown in Figures 9 and 10. The track at the lower marginiof the doorway: is indicated by the referencefl r Both of these tracks. are straight, i. e., theirrforward por tions do not slope'as is now common where flush doors are'u'se'd;

vBoth of these tracks '2 and 2 are'provided with a guide 3Wl1lCl1' extends inarectilinear direction parallel to the longitudinal center line offthe car. Roller supports 4'are adapted to travel uponthe'track 2 and roller supports 4 are'adapted to travel upon the track 2 These roller supports are attached to the door5' and sustainthe same with relationto the-track; 'Both ofithese roller supports 4' and a are provided with a groove or guide way'6 for receiving'the guide'3 on the'tra ck; The guide 3 and groove 6 constitute cooperating'means' for causing the I supports -to' travel in a rectilinearpath, and'formaintainingthe same on the track. The car doorso is' connected to its supportsiby' flexible or; collapsible connections denoted as a whole by the reference-numeral 7. Preferably a'pai'r of connections 7 extend between each support and the door, and each connection comprises or hinged together with a hinge bolt 7; lVhen the 'dooris supported upon an upper track the inner ends of the links 7 are hinged or pivoted to a plate Ssecured tothe door 5 and-they are provided with shoulders 9 which are adapted to abut suitable lugs lO projecting. from the plate& The outerendsof the links 7 are hinged or pivoted to the roller supports. 4. It will beflnot'ed from a reference to Figure 8 that the links-7? and 7 b are relatively in cases wide and are somewhat similar to a door hinge and they are hinged together similar to a door hinge so as to easily sustain the weight of the door. It will be noted that the connections 7 readily collapse or fold in V or collapse in a predetermined manner, each roller support 4 may be provided with an inwardlydirected guide stud 11, best shown in Figures 5 and 7 and which projects through a suitable aperture in the plate 8 and into a suitable socket 12 in the door as shown in Figure 5.

The projecting end of each support 4 is provided with a box 13 which extends over the track and supports a roller 14.

The roller supports 4 which it is contein-' plated to use when it is desired to support the door at the bottom, are connected by similar collapsible connections 7 to a plate 8 which is attached to the lower margin of the door and is inwardly offset below the lower edge of the door. The roller supports 4 are provided with suitably inwardly projecting trunnions or shafts 15 for supporting .the rotating roll: ers 14. v

As is well known in the art, these flush doors are provided at their rear ends with some manually operated means for moving the same outwardly and inwardly with respect to the doorway. In the present instance,

. a rod 16 is ournalled in suitable bearing lugs .17 upon the door 5 and extends through a guide loop 18 near the upper end of the door.

' The upper end of the rod extends within the space defined by the collapsible connections 7 and has attached thereto a cross head 19 the arms of which are arcuate in form as shown in, Figure .8. One arm slidably extends through a slot in a lug 20 on the plate 8 while the other arm extends through the link 7 which is positioned opposite such lug. v Obviously rotation of the rod 16 will move the rear end of the door outwardly as shown'in Figure 8 so that the same can be slid beyond the door opening.

The rear end of the door is provided with a metal strip 21 having an inwardly directed flange 22 against which the rear ends of the boards that form the door may abut, and an inwardly and rearwardly slopingflange 23 which is adapted to cooperate with a similarly sloping flange 24 on an angle member 26 thatis fastened to the car atoneend of the door opening. The flanges 23 and 24 are of the door for cooperation with a flange 28- on an angle member 29 that is secured to an angle member 30 which in turn. is secured to the car at the front end of the door open ng.

' Upon each outstanding flange of the angle members 26 and 30 there is secured a doorseat 31 which is illustrated as being in the form of an angle bar.

The" construction'of the car and door is such that when the door is being moved forwardly into registry with the doorway, it will be automatically drawn inwardly through the instrumentality of cooperating means on the door and car. The means on the door consists of a plate member 32 which is bentinwardly upon an upward slopeover the top of the door (Figure 5). and projects upwardly behind the'upper plate 33 which constitutes a flange of a Z-bar extending along the top of the'car. The means on the car'comprises a cam plate 34- (Figure 7) secured to the 'Z-bar 30 and so arranged that when the door is closed the plate 32 will engage the cam surface 35 on said plate, thuswise drawing the door inwardly. At the same time the lower portion of the door is drawn inwardly by the coaction of the bottom guide 34 and the lower leg of the bottom Z-bar 32*. v

As previously related, the rear end of the door is operated by the rod 16 .which has attached thereto an operating handle 36 pivoted to a lug 37 on the rod. The handle 36 is provided with a slot 38 adapted to engage over a staple lug 39 onthe door, and a latch pin 40 slidably supported on the door is adapted to extend through the staple for locking the-operating mechanism in proper position to retain the door in closed position.

In the operation of the door, assuming the door to be closed, the handle 36 is unlatched and swung for rotating the rod 16 which through its cross head 19 will'draw the rear end of the door outwardly against the sup port as shown in Figure 3. During such movement the connections 7 at the rear of the door will collapse as shown indotted lines in Figure 8. The door may then be slid to one side of the opening as shown in Figure 4. During such movement, the front end of the door will automatically move outwardly and collapse the front connections 7.

On the other hand, in closing the door, the

7 plate 32 will engage the cam edge 35 of the cam plate and the part 32* will engage the guide 34 and automatically draw the door inwardly, and when the door is in registry with the opening, the rod 16 may be operated to swing the rear end of the door inwardly against its seat. During such movement the rear edge weather strips will engage as shown in Figure 2. v I

It will be appreciated that the roller'supports with their flexibly attached door supporting plates and whi-chbroadly comprise opposed members joined by collapsible connections may be readily manufactured so as to constitute articles of manufacture which may be shipped to car builders and the like. It will also be appreciated that the present construction offers many advantages as to durability, operation and service than the present constructions now in use.

l/Ve are aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and we therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

lVe claim as our invention:

1. In a house car having a door opening, a straight track adjacent one margin of said opening, rolling supports upon said track, a door, flexible connections between said door and supports, and means engaging said connections for guiding the same during their fiexin movements.

2. In a house car having a doorway, a track adjacent one margin of the doorway, rolling supports upon said track, a door having a plurality of stop lugs, links pivoted to said door adjacent said stop lugs, and having shoulders engageable with said stops, second links pivoted to said first mentioned links, said second mentioned links being connected to said supports.

3. In a house car having a doorway, a track adjacent one margin of the doorway, rolling supports upon said track, a door, collapsible members connecting said door and supports, said door and members having cooperating means for directing the collapsibility thereof in a predetermined direction.

4. In a house car having a doorway, a track adjacent one margin of said doorway, roller supports upon said track, a door, a collapsible connection between each support and said door, and a guiding connection between each support and said door for guiding the collapsible movements of said collapsible connections.

5. Ina house car havinga doorway, a track adjacent one margin of the' doorway, rolling supports upon said track, a door, a collapsible connection between each support and said door, a guide pin for guiding one of said con 7. In a car door support, a pair of opposed members, a roller carried by one member, a

collapsible connection between said members,

and a guide on one member for guiding the other member in a predetermined path of movement.

8. In a car door support, a plate member j having a pair of spaced lugs, a link pivoted adjacent each lug, and having a shoulder contacting therewith, a second link pivoted to each trolling the collapsibility of said connections in a predetermined direction.

10. In a car door support, a pair of opposed members, collapsible connections between said members providing relative movement thereof, and guiding means between said members for controlling such relative movement of said members.

11. A flush door hanger comprising opposed members, a pair of toggles connecting said members, and manually operated means connected to one member and a toggle for controlling the movements of said toggle.

12. A flush door hanger, comprising opposed members, a pair of links pivoted to one member, a pair of links pivoted to the other member, pivots connecting the free ends of said links and a guide between said members for maintaining relative rectilinear movement between said members.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

KENNETH J TOBIN. WILLIAM. W. DARROW.

nections, and manually operated means for operating the other connection.

6. In a house car having a door opening, a

track adjacent one margin of said opening, a.

pair of roller supports upon said track, a collapsible connection between each support and door, and operating means for one of said connections comprising a rod carried by said door, and a cross head upon said rod, one arm of said cross head being anchored to the door and the other arm being connected to a collapsible connection. 

